Weekly Rundown- All About the Squats
Hello! Welcome to the Weekly Rundown, hosted as always by that dynamic duo, Kim and Deborah. It was a good week! There were runs, lots of squats, and oh yes… I signed up for a race! Read on for details. Monday The week started off with a 4 mile run, followed by Caroline Girvan’s abs workout. Tuesday Leg day at the gym! It’s come to my attention that perhaps I’m not going low enough in my squats, so I scaled back the weight a little in order to get lower. Why is it ten times harder to go down two extra inches??? I also did my usual deadlifts, calf raises, and Bulgarian split squats. And a little upper body- biceps and rows. Wednesday It’s Global Running Day! You know what would be a perfect way to celebrate? A long run on my favorite trail. Ahem. Unfortunately, we had to be at the orthodontist at 9 am- my daughter got her braces off! I did run, but on the treadmill at the gym. That’s okay- any running is good running. After a 1.5 mile warmup, I did 10 x 400 at 5K pace… and it felt WAY better than last week. Last week I just couldn’t get my legs to move fast- this time I was actually able to increase the pace as the intervals went on. Good workout! I came home and had time for planks and a few deadbugs. Strangely, my daughter was very impatient to get to this appointment! I don’t think we’ve ever been on time for the orthodontist, but on this day she was dressed and waiting by the door early. Huh, I guess getting the braces off is more fun than having them tightened. Go figure. Thursday Another 4 mile run, followed by Caroline Girvan’s deadbug ab workout. Friday Back to the gym for more squats. Every time I do squats, I’m slightly scared beforehand. Then while I’m doing them I’m uncomfortable, and afterwards I’m sore. All this has made me realize that squats are the one thing that I MUST DO. Nothing else scares me like squats- so they’re obviously the most important thing for me right now. I did my other leg things as well, plus bench press. Then afterwards when I was washing my hands in the bathroom, I could see my upper arms jiggling back and forth in the mirror. Note to self: next time do triceps. Saturday Day off!!!! It felt great to sleep in a little before going to work, but I didn’t feel like I needed a day off as desperately as I did last week. So I think… maybe… my legs are adjusting to the strength work and speed work. Hooray! I knew they would if I just stuck with it. Sunday On tap for today- a trail run! It’s going to be a longer run, but not too long. Next week is a busy week (my daughter has camp) so I’m going to shift things around, and go to the gym on Monday for- you guessed it- more squats. So what about this race, you ask? I shared it on Friday, but in case you missed it, I officially registered for the Forgotten Florida 50 mile race in February! Don’t ask me why I think I can run 50 miles… I’ll get there, somehow. I’ve excited about it! Do you love squats or hate squats? Or avoid them entirely? Do you have any big races coming up that you’re excited about?
Eating, Reading, and… I Chose a Race!
I’m not good at saving the best for last, so I’ll just start out by saying that I chose my winter race! You might remember I was deciding between several different options. There was the sandy, close by 50K; the “Forgotten Florida” which is a 50 mile race in Central Florida; a 50K that sounds beautiful but is four hours away; and a “last person standing” race, which is also relatively close to me (meaning, about a hour away.) I wanted to do them all! I got some great advice in the comments of that post- the problem was, every piece of advice was so good, they canceled out opposing opinions. I still want to do them all, but I finally chose… Forgotten Florida! This race is perfect EXCEPT for the fact that it’s 50 miles, and I was really looking for a 50K. But you know what? You only live once, and I couldn’t get this one out of my mind. It’s a point-to-point race on a trail that sounds incredible. It’s about two hours away- I’ll have to stay in a hotel the night before, but I’ll drive home after the race. I’m really excited! It’s on February 3, and knowing that helps me structure the rest of my summer. I’ll continue to focus on and prioritize strength until September, at which time I’ll start increasing my long runs. I don’t have a specific training plan yet, but I would like to do some back-to-back long runs (i.e. a long run one day and then another one the next day.) This is a little tricky because my work schedule is Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday; I don’t have two consecutive days off. But I’ve officially signed up for the race, so I’ll work it out. I could talk about the race all day, but let’s move on. Remember how I said my son, husband and I split up the dinner duties for the summer? Well, there have been a couple snafus. One problem is, too many trips to the grocery store. No one decides ahead of time what they’re going to cook, so it means someone is shopping almost every day. This is not good! We need to sit down at the beginning of the week and make a plan. This would also eliminate the second problem… Last night, I made this recipe for gochujang tofu, with rice and broccoli. Tonight, my son made tofu with peanut sauce… with rice and broccoli. Okay, there was a different SAUCE. But other than that it was a very similar dinner. I don’t really mind this, but my daughter and husband don’t like eating the same thing too often. Again, we need to have better communication. It turns out that having three chefs in the family is actually kind of challenging. Well, we’ll get it right, eventually. Meanwhile, my “Summer of Reading” is going well! My current book is… I got this for my son last Christmas, and he just got around to reading it. He loved it, and ordered all the books in the Ender Saga. I’m about halfway through, and I’m enjoying it. The fantasy/sci fi genre is pretty new for me, and the books I’ve read up to this point are definitely fantasy. This one falls firmly into the sci fi category. Normally I would say that’s not my thing, but it’s so well-written and the story is compelling. There’s a reason it’s a classic! I also have three library holds I’m waiting for- Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline, Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb, and Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. I’m not sure when these will be available, but I would love it if I could have all three of them for my “Week of Reading,” coming up at the end of June. Anyone want to join me at Forgotten Florida? – There’s also an 8 mile, 15 mile, and 100 mile option. Have you read Ender’s Game? Do you like science fiction?
Five Things on Monday
Lately I’ve been feeling burned out at work. So many clients… so many massages… when I go to take in the next client I find myself thinking “Oh, I suppose YOU want something too!” Er, yes- of course they do. That’s why they’re HERE. That’s why they’re PAYING me. I realized I needed a serious attitude adjustment, so I challenged myself to find at least five good things on this Monday. It was pretty easy! 1. Waking up in the daylight Ah…. for ten glorious weeks, I don’t have to get up in the dark. It makes such a difference to get up when it’s already light out! An immediate mood boost first thing in the morning. 2. I get to run I’m not injured and I’m not sick. Nothing hurts, and it’s not TOO hot this early in the morning. 3. A leisurely breakfast My favorite breakfast of rice and chia porridge, Stash double bergamot earl grey tea, and my bone supplements. On workdays, my husband eats his breakfast quickly standing up, or in the car while driving to work. I would HATE that! I would much rather get up 30-40 minutes early so I can enjoy my breakfast- it’s also my blog reading time. 4. My new favorite client Today I had a new client. She’s 88 years old, and when I asked what she wanted me to focus on, she said “Oh, I don’t really have any problems.” Seriously? I hope I can say that when I’m 88 (for that matter, I hope I can say that when I’m 58.) She told me she walks and does yoga every day, and also keeps her mind sharp by doing volunteer work, and described herself as an avid reader. I asked her for her favorite book she’s read recently, and she said it’s Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline. As soon as I got home I put a library hold on it. Here’s the description: “When a woman and her husband, desperate for a baby, find themselves unable to conceive, they decide to take further steps. Since it is the husband who is infertile, the heroine decides to use a donor. And all seems to be well. Three months pass and she is happily pregnant. But a shocking revelation occurs when she discovers that a man arrested for a series of brutal murders is her donor – the biological father of the child she is carrying. Delving deeper to uncover the truth, the heroine must face her worst fears, and confront a terrifying truth.” I’ve never read anything by Lisa Scottoline but I’m willing to try it! It sounds good, and I’ll have something to discuss with my new friend. 5. My son made dinner! Because he’s a college student, one of my son’s “specialties” is pasta. When I was in college, if I cooked at all, I made pasta and opened up a jar of sauce. But my son makes a very gourmet pasta with a spicy vegan cream sauce. He cooks the pasta perfectly al dente, and it’s so delicious! I was happy all day, knowing that I didn’t have to cook. Honestly, I could have come up with more than five things; but those were the highlights of my day. Have you read Most Wanted, or anything else by Lisa Scottoline? What’s your favorite breakfast? Do you like to eat a leisurely breakfast in the morning?
Weekly Rundown- The Gym Wins Again
Well, it was another week of gym workouts and heavy legs! My runs were hard, but it will all be worth it. I hope. Anyway, I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Rundown (thanks, ladies!) Let’s get right into it. Sunday If I go nine miles east I’m at the beach- but if I go about six miles west I’m right at the edge of the Everglades. This is where I went for my trail run. The trail isn’t very exciting, but it’s very peaceful. I ran 10 HOT miles. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but there’s no shade out here. Monday My legs were surprisingly sore from Sunday’s run- luckily it was a day off, except for Caroline Girvan’s dead bug workout. Tuesday Leg day at the gym! Squats, deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, calf raises… plus I did biceps and rows. Wednesday Okay, now my legs are really sore! Perfect day for speed work… sigh. I had originally planned to do it on the track at the school where my husband teaches, but I realized that while the students would be gone, the faculty was still there for professional development this week. So I did my speed work on… The treadmill at the gym! I had a phase several years ago where I did all my speed work on the treadmill, with good results. I thought this workout would be easier because I was inside where it was nice and cool, but it was alarmingly hard. But I did it- 8 x 400 at my (IS IT REALLY THAT SLOW) 5k pace (plus a warm up and cool down run.) I chalked it all up to tired legs, and moved on. Thursday A very slow 4 mile recovery run. And then for something different, I did Marcia’s core sculpt workout. Thank you Marcia for giving us a hard workout that has 15 seconds of rest between each exercise! Caroline only gives 5 and it’s cruel. Friday Back to the gym for leg day #2 of the week! I skipped deadlifts because my low back was cranky, but did squats, calf raises, Bulgarian split squats- and also bench press and triceps. There, I did my upper body this week! Funny thing about this picture. This was heavy for me, and it looks like I’m lifting the puniest weights. The bar is heavy, you guys! I mean, not heavy for some people I can think of (hi Wendy, hi Marcia!) but it’s heavy for me. Here I have on two five pound plates, and for the next set I added 2 and 1/2 more pounds per side. I can’t wait- soon I’ll be able to use the BIG TEN POUND PLATES (you can see them, the green ones in the background) and then it will definitely at least look like I’m lifting heavy weights, ha ha. Saturday The absolute last thing I felt like doing before work was getting up to run. But I knew my Sunday Morning Self would thank me, so I did it. I ran 5 miles and neglected to do any core afterwards (oops.) And at night, we went to a wedding! One of my oldest friends was unhappily married for over 25 years… then when their kids went to college she and her husband divorced. A few years ago she met and fell in love with a wonderful man, and tonight was their wedding. Just goes to show- it’s never too late. Sunday DAY OFF. I knew we would get home late from the wedding and I would probably have a couple drinks… and that I wouldn’t feel like getting up early to run in the heat. I’ll do a core workout, but other than that I’ll be relaxing and eating waffles (obviously!) I decided to skip a trail run this week because I wanted to put the focus on my strength workouts. But when I put this post together and saw the pictures, I missed it! So a trail run will pop up somewhere next week. Along with a day of speed work and two leg days at the gym. I figure if I keep at it, my legs will get used to it and won’t feel so sore and heavy all the time. Right? How was your weather this week? Are you running in the heat? Speed work on the treadmill- yay or nay?